DNO, your only source for news that is iit - Independent. Immediate. Trusted.

Fort Young Hotel rebrands

Dominica News Online - Thursday, February 27th, 2014 at 1:12 PM

The process of rebranding the hotel began a year ago

One of Dominica’s oldest hotels, the Fort Young Hotel, in its quest to keep ahead of a rapidly changing environment has decided to re-brand itself.

“We have had our old brand for a number of years, 26 years for a matter of fact, and we felt this time was the right time to give us a face lift,” said newly appointed General Manager, Mavlyn Alexander James, during the formal launch of the new brand on Wednesday.

James disclosed that the process of rebranding began approximately one year ago.

“I know that you are all thinking, why rebrand a hotel that has been there for a number of years with a brand name that is so well known, locally and internationally,” she stated. “However it was a well-thought of process. We really analysed before taking on the decision and then we identified a number of actions that we needed to take in order for us to remain the leading hotel in Dominica and in the Caribbean.”

The need to differentiate and stand out from the crowd, remain competitive, update and give the hotel’s image a facelift are among the reasons cited by James for the rebranding.

“We also wanted to better connect with our clients and customers… as you know the Fort Young is well known for its corporate clients,” she stated.

Director of Tourism Colin Piper, who also delivered a short address during the launch, noted that the hotel, in its changing process, is elevating and contributing to the country’s tourism product.

“We have appreciated the opportunity to market the destination of Dominica along with a property such as yours, and as we know when visitors come to the island, typically, they have a home away from home, and Fort Young have been that to a number of our visitors,” he said. “And certainly it has helped to propel the destination and continue to keep it relevant.”

He also added that he looks forward to the hotel’s continued commitment to continue to promote and market Dominica.

Changes to be expected from the new brand include:

-New look to the website
-A tagline: “The Key to Dominica”
-New colors to staff attire (teal, black and yellow)
-The Waterfront Restaurant is now the Palisades Restaurant on the Waterfront
-The gym is now caled The Compass
-The spa is now The Zemis Spa
-The Conference Room is now The Vault
-The Oceanfront Bar is now Warner’s Bar
-The creation of the Cannon Ball Club exclusively for children

The new names come from Fort Young’s ‘rich history and heritage,’ hotel officials said.

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of
DominicaNewsOnline.com/Duravision Inc. All comments are approved by DominicaNewsOnline.com
before they are posted. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view,
but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

violate or infringe the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or include personal attacks

are abusive, profane or offensive

contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law

promote hatred of any kind

refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty

Good customer service is very important and the staff need constant teachinghe (some of them are lacking in that department). I congrats you Fort Young but you need to do some travelling to see that your hotel is far from the best in the Caribbean. Go to Sandels, Rui in Jamaica, the list goes on and on. Please keep up and make Dominica the travellers place to stay. Good luck.

Cuddos to FYH for having a strong minded person on board with them. This lady in the photo is an all rounder, She has taught me at the State College, been a colleaggue of mine at DDA i loved her as a boss then more-over than the one that is presently mine and i would have no doubt in she being a first class employee and know’s exactly what she is preaching.
All the best my dear in your endeavours and let God be your shining amour.

Customer service was great at the FT Young Hotel in the 1960’s when the hotel was built. It was one of the main hang outs in Roseau and a tourist attraction. But that was when Dominica was still a British colony, total independence was a mistake.

Why do some non thinkers insist in comparing this hotel with Sandals? The only thing they have in common is they are both hotels, Fort Young targets the busniess person the other one usually on the beach targets couples…there are different kinds of knives in a kithchen…think…

People must understand Dominica is a small country with limited potential to compete with the Big names Hotel that have billions at their disposal,so do not expect the kind of rebranding associates with the big Hotels.What they have to focus on is the customer service,that is where the return guest are bought.Good Customer services,from a doorman’s perspective.Anyway good luck.

I have had the unfortunate pleasure of staying in this leading hotel. To say that it is the leading hotel in the Caribbean, I can only think that the lady is not a traveller. Obviously has never heard of Sandles, Coco Bay, etc, etc and the list goes on. This is just old sweets in a new wrapper. The rooms are badly in need of refurbishment, the staff need to learn about customer service, and the kitchen staff need to get their act together. To wait over an hour for a starter is unacceptable.

Well excuse me!!! You must be a representative from one of the competive hotels in Dominica. I have travelled all over the world and met many world leaders many of whom stayed at the Fort Young Hotel!! I’ve known that hotel since I was a child this is a first class hotel (check Trip Advisor). I have very fine taste and whilst I welcome the re branding I know that the Fort Uoung Hotel is a fabulous hotel and my favourite hotel in Dominica. The staff are so courteous and go the extra mile, the themed lunches & dinners are to live for. Rock on Fort Young. Well done!!

Ha, ha, ha. Best laugh I’ve had all day. Thank you. To be a representative of a rival hotel, I WISH. After spending most of my working life in the PR & CS trade any rival hotel I had would certainly give FY a run for it’s money. I can only assume by your aggressive response that you have an affiliation with FY. Reading your response and the aggressive manor in which it is written, you would certainly be one I would not employ with that poor attitude. I can also only assume that you need to be world leader to get some sort of decent service there. And I dread to think what your fine taste is if you feel that this is top class hotel. Again I can only assume that although you are saying you have travelled the world (not extensively I assume ) you must have stayed in some pretty poor places or your telling fibs. Moving on now to another subject.

Re-branding is not the answer. Service and quality are what counts. Changing names will not make a difference. Cable & Wireless took one of the most recognized and respected brand names in the region and changed it changed to Lime. Has it helped? Not one bit.

I was expecting to read about FYH joining the Sandals or Hilton brand! I guest this will be announced in time. My beef with FYH is the growing dissatisfaction of staffs. This seem to be a never-ending challenge for management. The turnover is above what is should be for a leading hotel where retention of core skills is critical. And to give a clearer idea of the point I am making, the turnover and dissatisfaction is not confined to rank and file staffs; it is equally evident in management. The IT manager is new; the HR manager is new; the facilities manager is new; the bar manager is new; the chef is not long on the job; even the current GM is relatively new to the position. So here’s some free advise, FYH: your rebranding efforts will come to naught if something is not done about staffs morale, motivation and their capacity to adjust to all those changes being made at the hotel. The HR profile is low and out-dated. Almost no one sees their tenure at the hotel as a career. Do something, Mr. Nassief! Get a better HR Consultant!

When a company rebrand to remain competitive the notion is to advocate for a total rebrand which involves change in internal processes which involves operations, human resource, front desk activities etc. Doing a facial uplift of the building and re-naming sections of the hotel only do not differentiate and position the hotel to compete in its industry. It is the delivery of ever improving value to customer through efficiency, speed and quality incorporated in the business every day activities which helps to develop the ultimate goal for rebranding. Thus if fort young is the same old place dressed up in new wrapping and ribbons its objective of changing its perception in the tourism industry is likely to fail.

i stay at your hotel in October and i find the room was clean but the toilet and shower so needed cleaning the toilet was like it was never clean with black water stain so in re branding you need to do a lot. cleaner room for the visitors. still have photo too. had to clean it myself.

Before rebranding you need to upgrade the rooms I saw mould in one of the bathrooms, we need to keep up to standard in accordance with the rest of the world. But go for it rebrand but keep your good name

I must be missing something. Rebranding almost always entails a new label, new/modified name – I searched throughout this article, twice, and I’m yet to see the rebranded name. Anyone care to enlighten?

@Shim, I regrettfully disagree with you. When decor change, room change and even uniform changes are involved it certainly involves a Name.

Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 50AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014

Not necessarily. It’s about the image you want to create in your clients’ mind. Rebranding can be a tricky business but it is necessary. Many brands, “re brand” from time to, you may recall AA rebranded last year or years before; Coco Cola, Microsoft and even Toyota rebanded within the last few years. I hope the clients love the new image of the FYH

I had the most amazing experience at the Fort Young Hotel, staff was polite , everything was perfect and yes I am a Dominican

For those of you who have had bad experiences or claimed that you had any…. Have you even been to the Hotel ?

Kudoos to the Fort Young Hotel

Like or Dislike: 20Jon CarsonFebruary 27, 2014

That is also my sentiments. I’ve read and re-read the article and I am yet to get the gist of the story as it relates to the rebranding. However, I must admit that the General Manager caught my attention and I think that I have a crush on her. I will have to look for her on my next trip to Dominica and stay at Fort Young.

Re-branding a business is essentially striving to update or change the way that they are perceived by the public on both a visual and operational level. Changing the name could prove to be positive if the business is suffers from a negative brand image. In any other case it may be counterproductive especially in the cases like that of Fort Young where they have already established name recognition.

Whatever visual imagery comes to mind when you think of or hear “Fort Young Hotel” is part of their visual brand identity. This is why they are updating their website, uniforms and even renaming rooms and suites. However, part of this rebranding should also include elements like customer care and possible updates in their operational structure.

Where did I get this crap from? I am a Visual Brand Identity designer based in NY from DA.

@warma I get your point …”Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, and competitors”… it appears that the company is just rebranding internal institutions, bars, conference rooms etc. to me this is of little or no importance.

Follow Us

This site uses cookies to provide a better user experience. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Service. Your use of DominicaNewsOnline.com is subject to these policies and terms. Find out more.